The Other Way
by Cordys-Vision
Summary: Ron leaves both Harry and Hermione in Deathly Hallows. Without Ron, Harry and Hermione are forced to rely on each other and discover a few hidden feelings.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hi all! This is just something I've wanted to start since I read this wonderful quote by miss JK Rowling. "I had always planned that Harry's true soul mate, which I stand by, is Ginny, and that Ron and Hermione have this combative but mutual attraction. They will always bicker, there will always be rough edges there, but they are pulled together, each has something the other needs. [Kloves] felt a certain pull between them at that point. And I think he's right. There are moments when [Harry and Hermione] touch, which are charged moments. One when she touches his hair as he sits on the hilltop reading about Dumbledore and Grindelwald, and [two] the moment when they walk out of the graveyard with their arms around each other. Now the fact is that Hermione shares moments with Harry that Ron will never be able to participate in. He walked out. She shared something very intense with Harry. So I think it could have gone that way." So, the basic storyline is. Ron leaves. And Harry and Hermione share quite more than what the shared in the books. Please review! :)

Harry stood quite still and silent, listening to her sobbing and calling Ron's name amongst the trees. He wished she wouldn't. Ron was long gone by now, and he knew that he wasn't coming back. This had never been Ron's battle. Not Ron's fight. For that matter, it wasn't Hermione's either but her loyalty to himself prevented her from leaving. Her worry for _him, _that he wouldn't make it alone, kept her there. Ron did not worry for him. How was it always so easy for Ron to turn his back on him? He walked over to the chair that Ron had thrown the horcrux into. He picked it up, turning the cold locket over in his hands. He walked the length of the tiny tent to get to his campbed, still holding the locket. It always felt heavy. Cold. Isolated. As if the piece of soul inside it was just as evil as the real walking, talking, breathing Voldemort. He clasped the locket around his neck, listening to the Rain plunk hard outside.

"Ron! Ron! Ron, come back!"

Each time she said his name was like a painful stab in the chest. And feeble though it was, each time Harry hoped there would be an answer. Ron had walked out, but that didn't mean they needed him any less. It didn't mean Harry needed him any less.

"Ron! Ron! Ron! Ronald Weasley! You come back here!"

Her voice was getting weaker, hoarse. It broke on the word Weasley and all he could hear for a few moments were her sobs.

"Please…Please…RON!"

Harry stood up quickly, striding towards the entrance flaps. It was raining exceptionally hard now and Harry was soaked through within minutes, but he just couldn't listen to Hermione call for him anymore, couldn't leave her out here all night calling for him fruitlessly. She was only a little distance away, making her way back through the trees, still calling his name.

"Ron!" She stepped down hard on the leaves, her hair was plastered to her face from the rain, and she was starting to shiver from being so cold.

"Ron!" She screamed, getting desperate now. "Ron!" She yelled again, her voice trembling.  
>"Ro-"<p>

"Hermione." Harry had closed the gap between them without her noticing. He grabbed her arms, holding her perhaps a bit more tightly than he should've. He spoke her name as if his life depended on it. "Please. Come inside."

They were both silent for a moment, staring at each other, the rain pelting down around them. Neither of them knew how long they spent staring at each other but, Harry actually started to shiver, and then Hermione collapsed on him. She was crying so hard that she couldn't breathe, and Harry instinctively wrapped his arms around her. She was completely broken. This mission had been anything but easy and now, Ron had left them. Walked out on them both, and it, Harry was sure, had been the last straw for Hermione. He held her close, his chin resting on top of her forehead.

"I know." He whispered, though he didn't really think he had to say anything at all. They stood like that for a long time. Until their clothes were utterly ruined and they were so cold that each of their skins were turning blue in turn. They finally went inside after what felt like hours. Harry went over to his camp bed, immediately beginning to change out of his wet clothing. Her heard a soft plop, which usually indicating Hermione falling onto her bed, and knew Hermione hadn't even bothered. He turned his head just a little to look at her. She looked so small curled up on her bed in a purple sweater that clung to her body because of the rain, and the jeans that looked amazingly uncomfortable. He threw his wet T-shirt on the bed, abandoning the effort of changing in favor of taking care of her.

He sat down on the edge of her bed, reaching a hand out to touch her back for a few moments.

"Don't you want to change? You must be freezing…and…Pajamas might be a little more comfortable. Come on, don't you have something in that brilliant beaded bag of yours?"

Hermione sniffled, but didn't say anything else.

Harry was quiet for a moment, and then he leaned down close to her ear and whispered,

"You've still got me."

Hermione turned then, her eyes meeting his for a moment.

"I've still got you." She whispered back.

He nodded a little, a small smile taking over his lips. "Always." He patted her hair for a few moments before getting up again and crossing the room to his own bed.

He changed out of his wet jeans and into his attire for sleep these days. A white T-shirt and striped blue pajama pants.

He lay in silence for a few moments, listening to Hermione's sniffles. It had to be at least an hour before either of them spoke again.

"Harry?"

He answered instantly as though he'd been simply waiting for her to say his name.

"Yeah?"

"Nothing in my brilliant beaded bag will bring Ron back."

It was silent for a few moments and then Harry finally answered her.

"I know."

But Hermione was already fast asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hi everyone! Thank you for reviewing and please keep doing so to let me know what you think!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything except the idea. **

The next morning, Harry had almost forgotten the night before. He turned his head towards Ron's bed and…felt the immediate disappointment sink into his stomach. Ron was still gone, and his empty bed was like a stab in the heart. He closed his eyes tightly, half wishing he could go back to sleep and wake up again and Ron would be here, but that wasn't exactly a practical thought. He let out a small sigh, turning to look over at Hermione, but her bed was empty too. His heart plummeted through his stomach, all the way down to the floor. Had she left him too? To be with Ron? He sat up quickly, a little bit too sharply, hitting his head hard on the little post beside his bed.

"Ouch!"

Hermione came in through the entrance flaps then, arms laden with potatoes. She gave him a half smile. A clearly watery smile. Her eyes were red and puffy. She'd been crying again. But the relief at seeing her…to know that she was still here…still with him, was too much to explain.

"Are you alright?"

Harry reached up a hand to rub the back of his head and nodded. "Yeah…I'm alright. What've you got there?"

Hermione looked down at her arms and then smiled again. "Breakfast." And then she walked over to the kitchen area of the tent.

That was the most they spoke for the next week and a half. Breakfast's were spent in silence as well as lunches and dinners. And they both went to bed much earlier than was necessary almost every night. Harry had grown accustomed to hearing Hermione cry herself to sleep every night, he himself couldn't get to sleep until the sobs turned into quiet breathing and he knew she was finally asleep. They took it in turns to wear the horcrux, though Harry volunteered himself for it much more than Hermione. He didn't mind. She was already depressed enough without wearing that foul thing around her neck. Not that he wasn't, the horcurx certainly wasn't doing him any favors, but better him than Hermione.

It was raining again by the end of the week and it was Harry's sixth night in a row wearing the horcrux. Hermione was curled up in her bed, reading her beedle the bard, but Harry suspected that she hadn't turned the page in a few hours. Reading, without really seeing. This bothered him. How were they ever going to succeed on this impossible mission without Ron, if Hermione couldn't figure out whatever hidden message Dumbledore had left them in that book?

It was obvious he'd been right about Hermione's fake reading when he heard her start crying. Again. Soft rattling sobs as if she didn't want him to notice, but how could he not?

"Hermione. He's gone. It's done."

She looked up at him sniffling. "I know…" She whispered, her voice still managing to shake.

His heart was pounding and quite suddenly he was angry. So angry that he didn't quite know what to with himself.

"So stop CRYING! It won't bring him back! It won't! And I can't stand the sound of you SOBBING any longer!"

Hermione blinked up at him, clearly shocked.

"I'm…I'm s-sorry, Harry…I…"

He shook his head quickly. "Forget about it. Ron's the only thing that matters to you. Is that it?"

Hermione looked at him mouth open slightly, she shook her head. "No…that's not….no. That's…not true."

"Why didn't you just go with him? You aren't doing me much good here, all you do is cry and cry…"

"Harry, take it off." She said suddenly, breathing in sharp gasps.

"Excuse me?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"The locket. Take it off. Take it off right now."

He stared at her for a moment and then unclasped the locket, throwing it across the room to her. It was instant, all the heat from the anger left his body at once and he felt normal again.

He let out a soft breath, looking up at her. "Hermione I…"

She shook her head just a little. "Don't. It's alright. I know."

"No…It's not alright…I shouldn't have…I…" He closed his eyes, sighing.

Hermione stood up, seizing the locket from the floor and clasping it around her own neck. "Harry. Don't beat yourself about it. It wasn't your fault…I'll…I'll take a turn for awhile." She nodded, giving him the smallest trace of a smile.

"Hermione? I really…don't have a plan."

She looked up at him tilting her head slightly. "What are you talking about?"

"Ron." He saw the pain flash across her eyes when he said the name. "He was right. I don't have a plan. Dumbledore…left me…virtually nothing…I…I know as much as you do and…I'm lost. We have one horcrux and NO idea how to destroy it. And I…haven't got a clue what the next step is."

Hermione sucked in her bottom lip, chewing on it for a moment, thinking. She sat down on the bed next to him, looking him in the eye.

"Who are you?" She asked softly.

"What?" He replied, rolling his eyes a little. "Hermione..come on…"

"No. Answer the question. Who are you?"

He let out an exasperated sigh, shrugging. "I'm Harry Potter."

"Right." She said firmly. "You're Harry Potter. Now, where did you sleep until you were eleven?"

Harry looked up at her, blinking. "Hermione…where is this going?"

"Answer the question." She said not taking her eyes off him.

He blew out a breath, "In a cupboard. Under the stairs at my Aunt and Uncle's house."

"Mmm. Correct. When you were eleven, at the end of the school year, what did you do?"

He looked away from her, bottom lip trembling. "I…saved the sorcerers stone from Lord Voldemort."

"And when you were twelve?"

"I killed a basilisk."

"Thirteen?"

"I fought of dementors."

She reached out, taking his hand squeezing it tightly.

"Fourteen?"

"I competed in the triwizard tournament."

"Mhm. And?"

"Faced Lord Voldemort."

"For the third time."

Harry let out a breath. "So what? I did those things but…"

"And when you were fifteen, Harry, you were possessed, and…you started the D.A., and handled Umbridge… and then when you were sixteen, Harry, when you were sixteen, you saved all our lives again. And, you can't possibly be telling, that after all that. You still think you don't know what you're doing. You still think it's all been luck. You still think you're not special. That you don't have what it takes to make it through this. "

Harry shook his head, "I didn't even know what the sorcerer's stone WAS until I met you. Couldn't have figured out that it was a basilisk, without you. You were there with me with the dementors, you helped me with every aspect of the tournament. You got Rita Skeeter to write that article to get everyone off my back, Not to mention the D.A. was YOUR idea and you were just as brave as I was in that battle last year."

She nodded just a tiny bit. "And I'm right here with you now." She reached a hand up to touch his cheek. "We can do this. You and me. We can do this."

He leaned into her touch, nodding just a little. "I hope so."

"Well, I know so. We'll be fine. Just fine. Stop doubting yourself."

He pulled away from her, looking down at the tent floor.

"Who are you?" She repeated, firmly, almost angrily.

"Harry Potter." He mumbled.

She nodded. "Harry Potter doesn't run away from something because it didn't go as planned. He just tries harder. That's the Harry Potter I know. That's the Harry Potter, I love."

It was like time stopped for a whole half a second. He looked up locking eyes with her, trying to read her.

"You love Harry Potter?" He said softly, a little grin taking over his face.

She blinked, as if just realizing what she'd said allowed and then blushed a deep magenta color. "I…I…Yes. Harry, of course I love you. I…you're my best friend..I…" She shook her head, flustered. "Just…go to bed, Harry." She said, standing up and crossing to her own bed.

Harry didn't stop thinking about her words all night.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thank you SO much for the Reviews! Keep sending them my way, they make my day. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, though I wish all the time that I did. There would be at least 10 books and a few prequels. **

It became obvious a few days later that Christmas was approaching. They had switched campsites once again, just to be sure they weren't being followed. Harry noticed in the little village they past, several Christmas trees in the window. It wasn't long before it was snowing and Harry missed quite dearly the comforts of Hogwarts castle in winter. Harry had been thinking, for a long time about Godric's hollow. He'd wanted to go ever since last year, it had actually been the very first thing he'd wanted to do but so many other things had taken precedence at the time. They hadn't expected to have to run for their lives at the wedding. He just wasn't sure how Hermione was going to feel about it. It was dangerous. Actually, it was beyond dangerous. It was actually quite stupid to go anywhere so obvious…but he just had to.

It was just after dinner when he brought it up to her for the first time.

"Hermione?"

"Mmm?" She said, blinking up at him from beedle the bard once again.

"I want to go to Godric's hollow."

She froze for a moment as if letting the words sink in and then she nodded.

"Yes. I knew you'd want too. And I'm almost quite sure Dumbledore left us something there…I'm not sure what yet, but…" She shrugged.

"You think he left us the sword there, don't you?" He asked quietly.

She smiled a little. "It's certainly a possibility. Godric's Hollow. Godric Gryffindor's sword."

Harry nodded, looking away from her, trying to hide his blatant excitement that they were finally going.

"Harry?"

"Yeah?" He looked up at her, not quite able to conceal his smile.

"You didn't have to make it such a big deal. I would've gone just because you asked."

The warm fuzzy feeling her words had created didn't go away for hours.

….

Godric's Hollow? Really? What had he been thinking? Of _course_ it had been a trap._ Of course. _ How could it have been anything else? How could he have been so stupid? How could he have led Hermione straight into a trap? She could've died. They both could have.

"Harry? Are you alright?"

Harry opened his eyes. He was lying on his bed, blankets covering him all the way up to his chest. Everything was drenched in sweat. The first thing he saw, was Hermione.

Her pale face etched in worry lines, her hair hanging all over her face in little wavy ringlets.

"We got away." He said to her.

She nodded a few times, but didn't say anything else. She pulled the blanket off him, sighing softly at the amount of sweat he was covered in.

"Take off your shirt. You're drenched."

Harry obeyed her, refusing to look her in the eye. This was all, his fault. If he hadn't needed to go to Godric's hollow so badly…

He chanced a glance up at her, but she didn't look angry or even upset really. Just worried.

"You've got a little bit of a mark." She said softly, biting her bottom lip. "The horcrux… it wouldn't…come off. I had to use a severing charm. But you're alright…I put some dittany on it. As well as the snake bite."

He looked down at himself noticing the purple-ish tint to his wounds.

"Where is the horcrux?"

Hermione looked up towards the other side of the room and Harry's eyes followed her gaze. The horcrux was swinging slightly from her bed post.

She shrugged a little. "I thought we should keep it off for awhile. I don't…I don't think it's good for us to wear it so much. You know?"

Harry nodded, agreeing whole-heartedly. This whole thing wasn't good for them.

"Hermione, I'm sorry. This whole thing was my fault. I'm so sorry that you have to be here."

Hermione stared at him and then shook her head slowly from side to side.

"When are you going to start understanding that I WANT to be here?"

"I thought Ron wanted to be here."

She flinched at the sound of his name, but spoke as if it hadn't bothered her at all.

"Well R-ron didn't. He left. I didn't go with him, Harry. And not…not because I pity you. Or because I was angry at him. I stayed Harry, because I wanted to. I wanted to be here with you. I'm going to see this through. I'm here."

She looked him over, shaking her head with a little sigh. "I've never seen anybody sweat this much." She mumbled and then got up quickly, crossing the room to her bed. She searched through the beaded bag that was lying on top of it and pulled out a white towel. She moved around kneeling by the edge of her bed, dipping the towel into a large bucket Harry suspected was full of cool water. She carried the towel back over to him, placing it on his forehead.

"You were…sort of…out of it for awhile there. I was worried. Were you…dreaming?"

Harry looked up at her, not sure if he could describe what he'd seen while he'd been immersed in Voldemort's thoughts. He shrugged.

"Something like that."

She nodded, not willing to push him, something he absolutely loved about her.

She crossed the room, for what felt like the 50th time that night and Harry found that he didn't want her to leave, not even to go across the room to her own bed for sleep. Of course, he didn't voice that, but he was thoroughly upset by her crawling into her own bed.

And then he remembered how inappropriate it was for him to want her in his own bed. It was Ginny, he convinced himself. He just missed Ginny. But the thought of Ginny made him think of red hair, which made him think of Ron, which is just too painful at the moment. He shut his eyes tightly then, waiting to hear Hermione's soft breathing, an instant indicator that she was asleep. But it never came.

It was very early in the morning. The sun would be up in just a few hours, and they were both clearly exhausted so why weren't they asleep?

He waited, and waited, and waited some more. Then he heard Hermione shift, as if she was uncomfortable in the position she'd been lying in for hours.

"Harry?" She said in a soft whisper.

Harry should've been surprised to hear her speak, but he wasn't. It was as if he had been waiting for it with every inch of himself.

"Yeah?" He answered voice slightly hoarse from nerves, though he convinced himself it was simply because he hadn't spoken in a few hours.

"You're awake."

"Yes. Yes I am." He said, letting out a breath. Waiting, just waiting.

"I don't want to be alone tonight." She whispered it, as if it was the most embarrassing thing in the world.

He let out a soft sigh. "You're not, Hermione. You're not."

He heard a creak and he knew that meant she was getting out of her bed. He heard her soft footsteps make her way across the room to him, and as he looked up at her he could've sworn he'd never seen anything more beautiful, than Hermione Granger at nighttime. She sucked in her bottom lip chewing at as she looked down at him.

"Can I sleep with you?" She asked, looking quite like a child. Harry couldn't help but smile.

"Of…course you can. "

He slid over, pulling the blanket back, only now self-conscious that he wasn't wearing a shirt. She crawled in bed with him, her back facing him, but didn't say anything else.

He reached an arm over her, pulling her slightly closer to him and then leaving his arm there.

"This is nice…" He mumbled after a few minutes, but of course, then the soft breathing had begun and Hermione was finally asleep.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Forgive me, please, for the grammer mistakes. It's really late, and I'm tired, but I wanted to get this up. Please review! It makes my day. **

**Disclaimer: Don't own Harry Potter.**

They never talked about it, not once. Of course, that didn't stop it from becoming the new sleeping arrangement. They'd fall asleep each night, each in their own beds at first. Then, like it was clockwork, every night Hermione would end up in Harry's bed by three.

Harry understood what it meant to be lonely, so he never minded. He liked having another person in his bed, another body to make the other side heavy. He liked having to think about someone else before he shifted or twisted the blanket around but most of all, he liked having someone to hold at night. Though he'd never admit that out loud to anyone, not even to Hermione herself, no matter how close they'd gotten.

And they'd gotten undeniably closer then they'd ever been before. They didn't even have to use words anymore, not really. Hermione always knew instinctively what he wanted. Small things of course, like what he wanted for dinner, or if having the light on was bothering him or if he needed to talk or just needed quiet.

All of this, coupled with the fact that she wasn't crying anymore lifted Harry's spirits a great deal. And then, almost as if it hit him from nowhere, Harry started to notice her. _Really_ notice her. The kind of noticing that only took place after years and years of knowing someone.

He noticed the way her hair sort of bounced around her face, and the way that her skin glowed in the sunlight. He noticed that when she slept her eyelids fluttered like she was dreaming something significant. He noticed that when she was thinking really hard about something her cheeks flushed a bright pink color. He noticed, almost everything about her, and most days he could hardly keep his eyes off of her. He knew she could tell, but he couldn't bring himself to stop looking. She really was beautiful, and he'd only just noticed. He felt he had to make up for lost time by taking in as much as he could all in one sitting.

He was staring at her from his bed while idly playing with the snitch Dumbledore had left him. She was on the floor, her hair up in a messy bun as she stared at beedle the bard with that face that meant she was concentrating very hard. He smiled a little as he watched her, noticing that when the light hit her hair a certain way, it almost looked golden. She looked up then, almost as if she could feel his thoughts. She smiled, shaking her head a little bit.

"Oh no." she said in a soft playful voice.

"What? Why oh no?" He said the smile that he'd had slowly fading.

She laughed a little. "You've got the look"

"What look?" He mumbled, slightly nervous that she'd caught him.

"You miss her." She said softly.

"What? Who? What are you talking about?"

"Ginny. You miss her. I can tell. You've got the look." She said, biting down on her lip to conceal her smile.

His heart dropped for a moment. Ginny? He hadn't thought about Ginny in months, it felt like.

"What look?"

"The look you get when you like someone. You get all….I dunno, determined or something. And it's all over your face."

He blushed, shaking his head and rolling his eyes a little. "I do not have a look, Hermione."

She laughed then, covering her face with her hands. "Of course you do, silly! I'm looking at it right now!"

"I promise you, I don't have a look." He glared at her playfully, crossing his arms over his chest.

She laughed a bit more, nodding and then biting down hard on her lip to stop herself and straighten out her face. "Okay, okay. You don't have a look. I'll just go back to my book, and you can go back to…not thinking about Ginny." She laughed a little again before lowering her eyes back to the pages of her book.

Harry watched her for a few moments before he spoke again.

"Do you miss him?"

Hermione froze for a moment, then she let out a soft sigh, closing the book softly.

"No, Harry. I don't." She locked eyes with him as she spoke as if trying to prove a point and she spoke with such conviction that he believed her whole-heartedly.

He didn't know what to say so he simply nodded, looking away from her for a moment or two.

"I guess I don't miss him either…or, that's what I keep telling myself so that I don't fall apart."

Hermione was quiet for a moment, pulling up her knees to her chest.

"It must be…hard with…with just me here."

Harry looked up at her at those words, shocked that she would even think that.

"No…I…you're wonderful, Hermione. Really. It's just…Ron was…"

"I know." She said softly, tilting her head a little bit as if lost in thought.

Harry watched her and then slid off the bed, crawling over towards her and then sitting cross legged across from her on the floor.

"You could do much better, you know. Your taste in men has always been a bit…off."

Hermione snorted, looking up at him a little smirk. "Excuse me?"

Harry raised a brow, "Oh come on, Viktor Krum? Cormac Mclaggen? Not really prime specimens. And Ron is my best friend…or…was…but…he's a bit thick, really."

Hermione tutted, crossing her arms over her chest. "One, Viktor was really nice. And really smart for your information, and I would've thought with the way you worship quidditch you would've loved him. Secondly, Cormac doesn't count, I was just trying to make Ron jealous and Ron…well…he's…you know…loveable in his way."

Harry laughed out loud, shaking his head at her.

"Okay…Hey! It's not like you had much better taste in girls then my taste in boys! Cho Chang? I mean there's sensitive Harry and then there's _sensitive_."

Harry was laughing so hard now, real tears were leaking out of his eyes, and he reached a hand down to clutch his stomach as he listened to her words.

Hermione was laughing too, her shoulders shaking with every breath. "And don't get me started on Ginny! She's _still_ just that little eleven year old with a crush on you!"

They both spent a long time laughing, harder and harder until they were both out of breath, lying on the floor together, trying to compose themselves.

After what felt like hours, but was really only minutes, Harry spoke again.

"And what about you? What if I said I liked you?'

There was a silence that lasted several long minutes and then Hermione sat up looking down at him.

"Don't say that."

Harry sat up slowly, looking at her.

"Why not?"

She shook her head slowly back and forth. "Just don't."

"Hermione…it's not…." He let out a sigh. "I've been thinking a lot lately. About…everything. You know, and life…life is too short not to say these things. And…we could both die tomorrow, and…I don't want to die without saying this to you. I know you love Ron. Or…loved him. I don't know. All I know, is that he never saw you. Not really. Not the way I do now."

Hermione stared at him, shutting her eyes for just a moment, thinking, breathing, and then she shook her head.

"Stop. I know what you're doing Harry. I know you. It's…it's convenient right now…for you to feel this way about me. Just like…just like Ginny."

Harry stared at her, completely and utterly confused. "What in the world are you talking about? What does Ginny have to do with this?"

"Everything!" She practically screamed. "Isn't it obvious, Harry? You love her out of convenience! Because it's easy! Because…because she's there. And because she's a Weasley, she's a part of the family you are so desperate to be a part of! She's your way in! And now…now that you think Ron might never come back and…Ginny's not around, you develop feelings for the next convenient thing around and that's…that's me."

Harry stared at her shaking his head slowly. "I can't tell you how wrong you are. That's…no. That's not true."

Hermione was crying now, her bottom lip shaking.

"Harry…just don't. Okay? I love Ron. You love Ginny. And that's…that's the way it is. The way it has to be."

"Hermione…."

"No! Just stop. It's…it's done. It's over."

She stood up then, moving quickly to her bed, pulling the covers back and climbing into bed, even though it was hardly six yet. He watched her do this before, getting up himself and exiting the tent.

He took a long walk around the perimeter of the lake. They were now in the forest of dean, Hermione had called it. Some place, where she used to go camping with her mum and dad. Harry wondered what it was like for her. Growing up with two loving parents who loved her just as much as they loved each other, probably even a bit more. He threw a stone out into the water watching it skip a few times. He didn't understand it. Obviously she was afraid, but afraid of what exactly? Of change? Of something different? He imagined that if they were to actually start a relationship it would be somewhat of a taboo, there _was _Ron and Ginny to think about. But who's business was it really? Not only that, but he couldn't help feeling slightly rejected. Maybe she didn't have feelings for him at all..maybe he'd just been reading all the signs wrong.

He didn't go back inside the tent until after eleven. He knew Hermione wasn't asleep quite yet, because he didn't hear her steady breathing, but she was in bed, blankets wrapped around her facing away from him. Harry climbed into his own bed, waiting, waiting…just waiting. Three o clock came and went and Hermione never left her own bed.

Maybe he'd ruined it. Maybe it was over. And with that thought, he drifted into a fitful sleep


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hi all! I wanted to get this chapter up tonight because I'm going on a little mini vacation and won't be around a computer for three days. Just a little warning. This chapter is a bit more on the 'mature' side. Nothing lemony however, because I don't do that. Anyway, please review and let me know what you think! **

It was obvious that Hermione was depressed over the next few days. She wouldn't talk to him, wouldn't even look at him really, unless it was absolutely necessary. Harry didn't understand it. It had to be one of two things. Either, she felt the same way he felt about her and it was killing her to deny it, or she didn't feel the same way at all and she was completely annoyed by him. He was hoping it was the first thing, because _that_ he could deal with, but if she had no feelings for him at all…

Harry tried not to dwell on it. He hated sleeping without her again, but it wasn't as if he had the choice to change it. Hermione wasn't even speaking to him unless it was to ask:

"Could you turn off the light, Harry?"

But usually by that point, Harry was just so glad to hear her voice at all that he didn't comment on it.

It was a Friday night when they finally spoke more than two words to each other. He only knew the day because of the evening prophet they'd managed to nick from a trash bin that Hermione was currently poring over.

"Oh…Oh this is all rubbish!" She said angrily, crumpling up the paper in frustration. "They don't say ANYTHING useful, and everything is just so…so…"

"Useless?" He offered.

She nodded as she kicked the little rolled up piece of paper across the floor. Her cheeks were flushed a bright red color that Harry couldn't help noticing, was beautiful.

"This whole Undesirable number one business…it's just so…I mean _undesirable? Really?" _

Harry grinned a little shaking his head. "You happen to think I _am _desirable then?"

Hermione glared up at him, shaking her head. "No. That's not what I meant. "

He laughed then, reaching over to pick up his bowl of spaghetti he'd abandoned earlier in favor of watching Hermione read the prophet. He scooped up some noodles and put them into his mouth.

"Sounded like that's what you meant."

"Harry, this isn't funny." She said, but he saw the faint shadow of a smile playing across his lips.

"It's not? Hm…" He chewed for a few moments and then picked up his fork, scooping up more noodles. He lifted the fork, pulling the prongs back a bit with his finger so that it sprayed spaghetti, sauce and noodles, all over Hermione.

"Is _that_ funny, then?" He asked with a grin.

She stared at him, shock written all over her face. Spaghetti sauce was splattered all over her cheek and there was a noodle in her hair, but she still looked gorgeous

"I can NOT believe you just did that! Harry, you're going to make a mess. Stop it right now!"

Harry shrugged, looking up at her innocently. "My hand sometimes just sort of…" He flung some more spaghetti at her. "…slips. I'm so sorry, let me help you…" He said moving over towards her. He reached out to pick a noodle out of her hair.

"There. All better." He said unable to suppress his laughs or grins.

She stared at him for a long moment and then she reached behind her, where her own spaghetti bowl sat. She sank her hand deep into it, picked up a hand full of spaghetti, and smashed it right into his face.

Harry licked his bottom lip free of sauce and wiped the noodles away. He laughed a little, shaking his head.

"Oh you asked for it Granger."

And then as if both of them had suddenly declared war, they started pelting each other with all the noodles and sauce they could get their hands on. Once they'd emptied their bowls, Hermione ran for the pot in the kitchen and soon they were both covered in sticky tomato sauce, noodles and several jugs of pumpkin juice that Hermione had just procured from a store in the last campsites closest village.

Finally, what felt like hours later, they both surrendered, collapsing onto the ground, lying next to each other.

"I can't believe we just did that!" Hermione exclaimed her cheeks flushed with excitement. "We've wasted so much food." She said with a little laugh. "We'll go hungry for a week."

Harry shrugged. "Worth it. SO worth it." He glanced around the tent thinking of the horrible clean up they were going to have to do later, but then Hermione waved her wand the slightest bit and the tent was clean. Even though they were still ridiculously covered in spaghetti.

"We should get cleaned up." She nodded, looking over at him.

"Yeah, that would probably be best."

Harry forced himself to stand up then, several noodles falling off him as he did so. Hermione stood up after him. She turned toward him, giggling uncontrollably for a few moments.

"What? What's so funny?"

Hermione was laughing harder now, clutching her side. "I'm s-sorry. S-s-so sorry." Her shoulders shook with her laughter. "It's just…you look SO ridiculous!"

Harry frowned reaching his arm up to wipe his face with his sleeve. "You don't look all that great either spaghetti queen." He said in a little grumble.

Hermione stepped forward, still laughing. "Oh, come here." She said softly, reaching into her pocket to pull out a napkin, she reached up wiping his face off with it, sighing. "Relax. It was sort of cute."

She spent a long time diligently removing the tomato sauce from his cheeks and chin. "There...now you look a little less ridiculous."

Harry was having trouble breathing from her being so close. He couldn't keep his eyes off of her and he knew then that he couldn't let her go. Not now. Not ever. She turned then, probably to cross the room for a change of clothes, but he grabbed her arm.

"No." He said firmly. She looked up at him curiously.

"No? No what?"

"No…you…you can't leave." He whispered.

"Well…yeah, I wasn't planning on it. I was just going to go and find some clothes…"

"No." He shook his head slowly.

"Harry…" She breathed his name as if she knew exactly what was happening. "Harry…don't do this."

"Don't do what?" He whispered as he reached up, unclasping the golden chain that belonged to the horcrux around her neck.

"Whatever it is you think you're doing."

The horcrux fell into his hand and he tossed it aside, hearing it land with a soft thud on his bed.

"I don't think I'm doing anything." He replied, his hands coming up to touch her shoulders.

She closed her eyes at the touch instantly, like it was an automatic response.

"Harry…Stop..just…"

"I love you." The words left his mouth before he'd realized what he was saying. But once the words were out, he knew they were true. Nothing had ever been more true in his whole life.

"W-what?" She whispered, voice shaking uncontrollably.

"I…I love you, Hermione."

She stared up at him, bottom lip trembling. "Why would you say that?"

"Because…because it's true." He nodded, as if he was clarifying the matter not only to her, but to himself as well.

"I love you." He said again, hands moving from her shoulders to touch her cheeks, rubbing his them over them lightly.

There were tears streaming down Hermione's face now, though Harry was wiping them away as steadily as they fell.

"Oh Harry," she breathed. "I love you too. I do. Oh god…"

It was like it was causing her physical pain to admit it, and all Harry wanted to do was wrap her in his arms and hold her tightly so that she couldn't feel whatever pain she was feeling anymore.

"Shh…it's alright…it's…" But he didn't finish his sentence. He leaned in, pressing his lips lightly against Hermione's.

It was fireworks. It was bells and whistles. It was nothing he'd ever felt before. Not with Cho. Not with Ginny. No. No. This was very, very different.

If Hermione hadn't pulled away, Harry wasn't sure he would've ever stopped kissing her.

"This is wrong." She choked out.

"Who says?"

She looked up at him, eyes brimming with tears.

"Harry, I love you, but…what about Ginny? What…what about Ron? I…I can't just….forget about that. I…" She closed her eyes. "I can't forget, Harry."

He leaned in close to her ear, pressing his lips to it before whispering,

"I can make you forget."

She pulled back to look at him for a moment, her eyes searching his. She nodded just the slightest bit before speaking.

"Make me forget. Make me forget, Harry. I want to forget."

She was begging him, and he couldn't help but think that she needn't bother. He would've done anything she asked of him.

He reached down, his fingers resting at the hem of her shirt, he tugged on it, once, twice and then she lifted her hands over her head, eyes closed.

He lifted the spaghetti covered T-shirt off of her, and then reached for the button on her jeans. He looked up at her looking for any indication that she wanted him to stop. There wasn't one. He unbuttoned the top button, pulled the zipper down, and shimmied the jeans down to her thighs. She did the rest, reaching down to pull them the rest of the way off.

It was funny, Hermione was dressed underneath her clothes just the way that he'd always thought she would be. Perfect matching set. White bra. White underwear. And she was absolutely lovely.

"You're beautiful." He said in a soft voice.

She blushed, looking down at the floor. "Just…come here…" She whispered.

He didn't waste any time in obeying. He decided, very quickly that he loved kissing Hermione. It was like they were made for this, and if this was wrong, he really didn't know what right was anymore.

Maybe they shouldn't be doing this. He paused for a minute taking her in, after what felt like an abnormally long time of silence, Hermione feeling exposed and Harry staring, he opened his mouth to speak.

"I won't regret this."

"Shh…" Hermione shook her head. "No more talking."

He smiled taking her hand and leading her over to his own bed. The place she'd avoided sleeping for a long period of nights. He grinned a little, grabbing her hips lightly and rolling her over so that she was lying on her back and he was hovering over her. He pulled back a little, taking off his shirt as he went, but he couldn't stay away from her for too long. He leaned over her again pressing soft kisses to her neck, and she let out tiny little hitches of breath every time. They sounded beautiful to Harry.

She was shaking now, and Harry, full of concern, pulled back again just to look at her.

"Hermione…are you alright?"

She nodded vigorously, not looking at him for a long moment.

"Just…kiss me. And don't stop." She whispered, leaning up, closing the space between their lips a little more, but he didn't close the space completely just yet.

"Hermione." He leaned down a little more so that he was a millimeter away from her lips. "I won't stop until you ask me too."

"Harry?"

"Yes?"

"I do, by the way."

"You do What?"

"Think you're desirable."

Harry grinned and then very carefully closed the small space between their lips.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Hi! I haven't disappeared off the face of the planet! Life got crazy, I went on vacation, and then I moved out and everything's been crazy. But, tonight I decided I wouldn't keep you hanging any longer. Leave reviews, I like to know what you think and it makes me write faster, and it gives me inspiration and ideas. Thanks for sticking with me and reading!**

Harry wasn't sure what time it was, or if it was night or day. All he knew was that he'd never been more comfortable, happy or content. He wanted to stay like this forever. Warm, comfortable and lying next to Hermione, the most beautiful girl in the world. Her body heat keeping him safe, whole, perfect. He didn't think he would ever forget this night. How could he? He turned his head just slightly to look at the girl lying next to him. Her brown hair fanned out around her and she looked like the most innocent fallen angel he'd ever seen. She'd fallen asleep much quicker than he had, but now it didn't seem to matter much because now, he was wide awake.

He sat upright, his eyes narrowed as he stared around the tent. _Something_ had woken him up. Something specific, but he couldn't, for the life of him, figure out what. Everything seemed normal. Everything was exactly where they'd left it. But something just_ felt_ different. Something. But he still couldn't place it. He stood up, careful not to shift the bed too much so that he wouldn't wake Hermione. He grabbed the first T-shirt and pair of pants he could find, grabbed Hermione's wand and left the tent.

It was a quiet sort of night. Something he wasn't used to and it was almost too quiet. Yet, there was still nothing quite out of the ordinary.

Absolutely nothing. Except for a shimmery light in a dark forest. He saw it out of the corner of his eye, but when he turned, the bright silvery light was gone.

"Hello?" He called out.

He realized how stupid this was, He had no idea what that light was, or if it belonged to the wand of a death eater, or a snatcher, or even Voldemort himself but something told him it wasn't a sinister light.

He began to walk in the direction of where he'd last seen it and just like before the light seemed to materialize out of thin air. And then it sped off in the opposite direction.

"No! Wait…Hey! Come back!" He followed after it at a run, until finally he was face to face with the bright light at the frozen over lake. It was a doe. A shining, silvery, bright beautiful doe…

* * *

><p>A minute after he jumped in, he'd known it was a bad decision. The water was much too cold, colder than he ever could have anticipated. It felt like 1,000 sharp knives stabbing into him, but he only had eyes for that ruby-hilt.<p>

He swam towards it, eyes wide with greed and then as if it had planned the whole thing, the horcrux attacked. There was no other word for it. The thick gold chain, wrapped around and pulled against his neck, trying, in short, to strangle him. The lack of air was making it hard to think, and the rubies were glittering at him, almost blinding him. He couldn't believe he'd made it this far just to be strangled to death.

And what about Hermione? His heart leapt at just the thought of her name. He couldn't leave her like Ron had. He couldn't destroy her that way. But it was looking like he didn't have much of a choice. And then all it once he was being pulled from the freezing water, the horcrux was being wrenched away from him and suddenly he could breathe again.

He sucked in large gust of air, sweet, beautiful, clean air. He leaned over onto the frozen ground, coughing and sputtering until little streams of water dislodged themselves from his throat.

"Hermione?" He eventually coughed out, his eyes stung too much to open them just yet, but who else could it have been?

"What the bloody hell, were you doing?"

The voice shocked him so much that he temporarily forgot about the pain in his eyes and wrenched them open.

"_Ron!"_

There, in front of him, as if it were some sort of sick dream was Ronald Weasley. Harry let out a relieved breath. Even after everything that had happened, he still needed Ron.

"Hey there." He grinned and the familiarity of it, made Harry's heart swell. "I saw you jump in…are you crazy? That couldn't have been a pleasant swim…what exactly were you-" He stopped, looking down at his own hand which held Godric Gryffindor's sword in it. He grinned a little. "Oh right. You were probably diving in for this."

He held the sword out to the other boy. "Well, there you are."

Harry looked up at him for a long time, just taking him in. He didn't look any worse for the wear. Still Ron. He couldn't help but smile a bit.

"How..How did you find us? Why are you here? What…what are you doing?"

Ron shrugged a little, "Well…I've…I've come back. If you'll have me."

Harry blinked up at him, it wasn't a question or not if he'd take him back. He would always take Ron back. They were friends, through everything.

Ron looked down at his feet, a blush taking over his cheeks. "Well, Are you going to take this, or what?" He said still holding out the sword for him.

"I don't think I can." Harry let out, his voice raspy from the water. "I think It has to be you. You pulled it out of the lake."

Ron raised a brow. "What has to be me? What are you talking about?"

Harry stood up, making his way over to where the horcrux had been thrown off of him by Ron. He picked it up easily, placing it in front of Ron on the ground.

"It's got to be you. You've got to destroy it. Why else would you be here?"

Ron looked terrified, more terrified then Harry had ever seen him, but they didn't have time for this. He started shaking his head frantically.

"Harry, I…I can't."

"Yes, you can. Come on. I believe in you. You pulled the sword out didn't you?" He reached for the horcrux and wrenched it open. It was funny, how easy it was to open when it was on its way to it's end.

He didn't know how much of a fight the thing would put up, but what happened, he certainly hadn't been expecting.

"I have seen your heart, Ronald Weasley, and it is mine."

The words coming from the horcrux sounded terrible, not like a real voice at all. Like one you might hear in a terrifying nightmare, and then rising before the both of them was an image, one Harry knew very well, because he'd just lived it.

It was a very vivid image of exactly what had transpired in the tent mere hours ago. How had he temporarily forgotten? His cheeks blazed a bright red color as he watched. It was as if somebody had filmed it really and he Harry couldn't stand the look on Ron's face. The terrible, horrified, heartbroken look.

"Ron! Kill it!"

It took a few moments, but suddenly Ron was swinging the sword high over his head and the horcrux was silenced. Permanently.

There were no words between the boys now. Nothing to be said, because Harry knew that it was true, and Ron was wishing desperately that it wasn't.

Harry picked up the destroyed horcrux and Ron still held the sword in his hand as they walked silently back towards the tent. This was not how he had envisioned Ron's return. There was no catching up, no laughs about what they'd been up to. Just awkward, unending silence.

When they finally did reach the tent, it felt like hours later. Ron made a move to grab the entrance flap but Harry held him back.

"Ron wait." He said softly.

Ron paused, turning around slowly to face his best friend.

"You're my best friend. I want you to know that."

Ron nodded, "Yeah. Alright."

"And…whatever happened while you were gone…it…it doesn't count. Okay? New slate."

Ron didn't nod this time. He held Harry's gaze for a long moment and then he pushed forward into the tent.

Harry took a deep breath and then followed in behind him. Hermione was still asleep, lying with Harry's own blankets drawn around her. Ron was standing just inside the entrance, staring at her sleeping form, and then he crossed the tent to the bed that he'd inhabited before he'd left.

"Ron…"

"Don't!" The other boys voice was loud and sharp. He was terrified that it would wake Hermione, and he didn't want her to be a part of this.

"Ron, Ron listen…" He said in the softest voice he could manage. "It just happened...you were gone, and we were both so…so broken without you. We just…we took comfort in each other, and I'm…" He closed his eyes. "Neither of us thought you were coming back and it just…It just happened Ron, I swear it."

Ron shook his head, hard, not facing him.

"I said don't. Don't try to convince me that this wasn't happening all along. Don't pretend you didn't know how I felt! You knew how I felt! You always knew!"

"Ron how could I have? How could I have known? I…I suspected…I…I figured! But you never told me! Ron, I'm so-"

"Don't say you're sorry! You're not! God, I let you…with my sister! And all the time you've been two-timing her! And betraying me!"

"I haven't! I swear I haven't! This…this thing with Hermione…it just happened!"

"This thing? What thing would that be exactly? Are you using her like you used my sister, or are you planning on doing right buy her?"

"Stop.." It was a new voice this time. The two boys turned to face Hermione she was sitting up in Harry's bed, blanket draped strategically around her.

"Please stop..." she stood up, pulling the blanket with her.

"Ron," She whispered in a soft voice. "I'm so so-"

"Will the both of you QUIT with the sorry's? I don't believe it. How could you do this to me?"

Harry let out a scoff. "How could you do this to US? How could you LEAVE us? This is YOUR fault. Not anybody else's!"

"Oh, that's rich, Harry! Maybe if you had had a plan…no…you know what." He closed his eyes, shaking his head hard. "This is ridiculous. I don't need to talk to you about anything." He said, eyes opening to stare at Harry for a long moment and then his eyes shifted over to Hermione.

"Choose. Me or him."

"W-what?" Hermione spluttered. "Ron…I…I can't do that. Please, this is…let's just…let's just stop and have a think about all of this. We'll talk, Ron and…"

"No. Choose. Me. Or him."

Hermione took a deep breath, looking at Ron and then at Harry. Tears were streaming down her face like waterfalls. Harry could see the sacrifice in her eyes. She knew, and so did he, that if she didn't choose Ron, he'd leave again. And that would kill them both. How could they possibly go through that again? Harry knew the answer, they couldn't. Hermione locked eyes with him and they communicated silently. He knew what she was going to do before she did it.

Hermione closed her eyes, letting out a small sob.

"You. You, Ron. I choose you. Oh god, Harry I'm so sorry."

Harry bit down on his lip, shaking his head.

"Shh, don't be. It's alright. It's okay. I know."

He nodded at her, trying to smile through his pain. He didn't want her to know how badly this hurt. He didn't want her to bear that pain too.

Hermione was sobbing so hard that Harry didn't know how she had that much water inside of her. He wanted to wrap his arms around her, hold her, tell her everything was going to be alright, but before he'd even fully thought it. Ron was doing it for him. He watched the pair of them for awhile, watched Ron take care of her the way he knew he could. And he could probably do it better. Ron took her to bed, _his_ bed, and he only heard her cry for a few minutes more. He imagined her falling asleep, just so that she wouldn't have to think about what she'd just done. Harry only wished he could do the same, but instead he was awake until he sun rose outside the tent and the first signs of birds chirping arose. And then, as if exhaustion was a blanket, it fell over him and he was asleep.


End file.
